The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-12-29
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Weekly Discourse Of the Great
Brooklyn Preacher
Subject; "RccrentiOns Good
and Bn.r

TEXTS They that uss this porld, as not
til. Corinthians vii, 3. And H
came TO pass uhen their hearts vers MERRY
that they said: Call for Samson, that he
may make us sport. And they called for
Samson out Of the prison house; and he
made them sport.'-Judgcs xvi, 25.
We are entering the gayest season Of tho
year. The winter opens before us the gates
of thousand amusements, some of them
good and some bad. One OF my texts will
show you that amusements may be destruct-
i've, my other text will show that amuse-
ments may be under the Divine blessing and
direction.
There were three thousand people assem-
bled in the temple of Dagon. They had como
to make sport of eyeless Samson. They were
all ready for the Entertainment, They began
to clap and pound, impatient for the amuse-
ment to begin, and they cried: "Fetch him
out! Fetch him outn Wonder | see the blind
giant coming, led by the hand of child into
the very MIDST of the temple. At his first APP
pearanCe there goes up a shout Of laughter
and derision. Tho blind old giant pretends
he is tired and wants to rest himself against
the pillars OF the house; so he says to the lad
who leads him: "Show me where the main
pillars aren The lad does SO. Thenthe strong
man puts his right hand on one pillar and
his left hand on another pillar and, with
the mightiest push that mortal ever made,
throws himself forward until the whole
house comes down in thunderous crash,
grinding the audience like grapes in wine
press. And so it came to pass, when their
hearts we're merry, that they said: Call for
Samson, that he may make us sport. And
they called for Samson out of the prison
house; and he made them sport"
In other words, there are amusements that
are destructive and bring down disaster and
death upon the heads of those who practice
them While they laugh and cheer. they die.
The three thousand who persisted that day in
GAIA arc as nothing compared with the tens
of thousands who have been destroyed by
sinful amusements.
But the other text have read implies that
there is lawful use of the world, as well as
an unlawful abuse of it; and the difference
between the man Christian and the man I'M
Christian is that in the former case the man
masters the world, while in the latter case tho
world masters him. For whom did God
make this grand and beautiful worlds For
whom this wonderful expenditure OF color.
this graCefuness OF line, this mosaic of the
ground, this fresco OF the sky, this glowing
1ruitage of orchard and vineyard, this full
orchestra of the tempest, in which the tree
branches flute and the winds trumpet and the
the thunders drum and all the sp!endors of
earth and sky come clashing their cymbals'
rOI WhoAl uiu pou thS diSHcl
of co.ors resting upon buttreSses of broken
storm cloud. For whom did he gather the
upholstery of fire around the window of the
setting sun! Or ailmen, but more especially
for his ov children.
II you uu4il, a large mansion and spread
great feast after it to celebrate the compile
ton Of the structure, do you allow strangers
to come in and occupy The place, while you
thrust your own children in the kitchen or
the barn or the fields! Oh, no. You say: ~
am very glad to see strangers in my man.
sion, but my own sons and daughters shall
have the first right there Now, God has
built this grand mansion of a world and he
has spread glorious feast in it; and while
those who are strangers TO his grace may
come in. think that God specially intends to
give the advantage to his own children,
those who are the IONS and the daughters Of
the Lord Almighty, those who through grace
can look up and saw Abba, Father" You
cannot make me q that God gives
more advantages : world than he
gives to the CHI ought by his own
bood; II, the people of the
world have locke dolorcps sympathy
upon those who MAJ profession of religion,
and have saal: "Tl iew converts are 20.
ing down into FL and into hardship.
Why did not the 2 a little longer in
the world, and ONE of its enjoy
ments and a., ..,x...s and recreatons?H I
!, ATTY mistaken" and before get through
i show that those people who stay out of
Kingdom of God have the hardships and
se44dcnials, while those who come in have
the joys and the satisfactions.
This morning, in the name of the King of
Heaven and earth, serve a writ of eject
ment upon all the sinful and polluted who
have squatted on the domain of earthly
pleasure as though it belonged to them, while
1 claim, in behalf of the good and the pure
and the true, the eternal inheritance which
God has given them
Hitherto, Christian philanthropists, cleri-
cal and lay, have busted themselves chiefly in
denouncing sinful rccreations; but feel We
have no right to stand before men and women
IN whoe hearts there is desire for recrea-
tion amounting to positive necessity, de-
nounclng this and that and the other thing,
when we do not promise to give them some
thing better. God helping me this morning,
and with reference to my last account, shall
enter upon a sphere not usual in sermoniz.
ing, but subject which think ought to DO
presented at this time. propose now to lay
before you some of the recreations which are
not only innocent, but positively helpful and
advantageous.
In the first place, commend, among in
door recreations, music vocal and instru-
mental. Among the first things created was
the bird, so that the earth might have music
at the start. This world which began with
SO sweet serenade, is finally to be demol-
lshed amidst the ringing blast of the arch
angels trumpet, so that as there was music
az the start, there shall be music at the close
Wmle this heavenly art has often been
dragged into the uses ofsuperstition and dis
sipation, we all know it may be the means of
nigh moral culture Oh, it is o grand thing
TO have our children brought UP amidst the
sound of cultured voices and amidst the
melody of musical instruments There is in
,hls art an Undesirable fascination for the
household. Let all those families who have
the means to afford it, have flute or harp. or
piano or organ. As soon as the hand is large
enough to compass the keys, teach it how to
PICK out the melody. Let all our young men
try this heavenly art upon their nature.
Those who have gone into it fully have found
IN 1t lilmitable recreation and amusement.
DARK days, stormy nights, seasons of sick
ness, business disasters, will do little toward
depressing the soul which can gallop off over
musical keys or soar in jubilant lay. 1t will
cure pain. 1t will rest fatigue. 1t will quell
passion. 1t will revive health. 1t will re-
claim dissipation. 1t will strengthen the i'm.
mortal soul. In the battle of Waterloo, Wei
iington saw that the Highlanders were fall
ing back; he said "What is the matter
there:" He was told that the band of music
had ceased playing, and he called up the
P'pN.o eho iNcicu eileul W SUllhe up all IN
spiriting air; and no sooner did they strike
the air than tie Highlanders We're rallied
and helped to win the day. Oh, We who have
been routed in the conflicts of life, try by the
force of music to rally your scattered bat
talions.
am glad TO Know that in our great cities
Shere is hardly night in which there are not
concerts where, with the best musical instru.
ments and the sweetest voices, people NAV
nnd entertainment. Patronize such enter
taiments when they are afforded YOU. Buy
season tickets if you can for the "Phihar-
monte" and the Handel and Haydn" socie-
ties. Feel that the dollar and half or two
dollars that you spend for the purpose of
hearing an artist play or sing is a profitable
investment. Let your Steinway halls and
your academies of music roar with the ac-
clamaton of appreciative audiences assem-
Died at the concert or the oratorio.
Still further, l commend as worthy of SUD.
port the gymnasium. This institution is
gaining in favor every year aud know of
nothing more free from dissipation or more
calculated to recuperate the physical and
mental energies. While there are good
many people who have employed this insti-
tuition there is vast number who are iCnor-
ant of its excellences. There are men with
cramped chests and weak sides and despond-
dent spirits who through the gymnasium
might be reused up to exuberance and exhil-
aration of life. There are many Christian
DpODln fecOondanf FROM, yao, to ,-o,, ,,l.,